Jimmy Johnson Tailpiece

[Triassic_Ash]

Hello everyone,

So I'm having an Alembic built with a Jimmy Johnson styled tailpiece and was wondering if the posts have to be a precision fit to a specific ball end size or not?

I did some research and saw that most string manufacturers use a 6mm ball end, with the only exception I found being GHS which uses a 6.38mm.

My understanding is that Alembics default ship with Alembic strings which I'm pretty sure are manufactured by GHS, so have any users been able to interchange the 6.38mm with the 6mm?

Best,

-Ash

[adriaan]

Which manufacturer makes Alembic strings can only be guessed, but knowing that Jimmy plays GHS strings exclusively, I assume GHS strings will fit. Also thinking you should be looking at the size of the centre opening of the ball end, not the outer diameter.

[JimmyJ]

Hey Ash,

You mean like the one below?  I'm honored.    My reason for the design was because I change strings often and wanted the quickest on and off.  Plus, I already knew what strings I wanted to continue using so we made these specifically for the Boomers.  I didn't even research any other manufacturers.  Figured I'd cross that bridge if necessary down the road. 

Interestingly, a recent batch from ghs was a very tight fit onto the "rods".  Seems I'm barely within allowable tolerances.  And I'm sorry but I don't know what the size of the pin or the ball-end hole is.

I still enjoy the easy-on and off aspect and aside from that latest batch I've never had any issues with the system.  Good luck with the build, that's exciting!

Jimmy J

[NachoGomez]

Hey Jimmy, just curious, how faster is it to change stings with your bridge compared to the standard open ended Alembic bridge?

BTW: I haven't seen that bridge design before, looks really cool

[JimmyJ]

Hey Raul,

I'd say probably NO faster.    You've jogged my memory into a deeper explanation so bear with me...

Way back in 1976 when we came up with the low-B thing the biggest E-string Boomer I could get was a .120.  But that string had a winding length that was quite long.  And as it happened, that original bass had 3-tuners on the low-string side of the peghead and 2-tuners on the high-string side.  That meant there was only a short distance between the nut and the tuning peg of the B-string and that was a problem because the large diameter of that compound winding was not interested in bending around the small Schaller tuning peg. 

The creative solution Alembic came up with was a brass plate with pins (I think they were bits of welding rod) protruding which I could slip the ball-ends onto. And the B-string was given an extra length between the bridge and the tailpiece pin so that the winding on the other end tapered before reaching the tuning peg. 

The attached pic below shows that old tailpiece and you can see the original "extra-length" pin way back near the omega cutout. Later I had found a low-B Boomer with a shorter winding so the B-string ball end in this shot is in it's secondary "shorter" position...

All that to say, I simply got used to what I refer to as a "quick-change" tailpiece but it likely never saved me any time even considering how many hundreds (thousands?) of times I've changed strings in 48 years.

Cheers!!

Jimmy J

[JimmyJ]

One more thing...  When stringing the bass I have a habit of giving the string a twist before pulling it up to pitch.  I will put it on the tailpiece pin, wind the upper end around the tuning peg 1-1/2 times and bend it into the slot, then pop the ball-end off the pin and twist the string a 1/2 turn in the direction of the outer winding, pop it back on and tune it up.  I leaned this from my father who would do this to the bass strings when restringing pianos.  I can't claim this successfully applies to modern electric bass strings but it has become part of my restringing ritual.

Jimmy J

[lbpesq]

Jimmy, I think it's really cool that you continue your Dad's legacy.  Every once in a while I find myself saying or doing something that came straight from my Dad.  On those moments, even though he passed 17 years ago, he is still with me.

Bill, tgo

[Songdog]

One more thing...  When stringing the bass I have a habit of giving the string a twist before pulling it up to pitch.  I will put it on the tailpiece pin, wind the upper end around the tuning peg 1-1/2 times and bend it into the slot, then pop the ball-end off the pin and twist the string a 1/2 turn in the direction of the outer winding, pop it back on and tune it up.  I leaned this from my father who would do this to the bass strings when restringing pianos.  I can't claim this successfully applies to modern electric bass strings but it has become part of my restringing ritual.

Jimmy J

Interesting! I've always heard "avoid twisting the string" but here's something with some real expertise behind it that says the right twist is beneficial.

Can you please be a little clearer about "in the direction of the outer winding"? Does that mean twisting it so that the outer winding would be tighter on the core or looser? And does this apply to all the strings, or just the B string?

[Triassic_Ash]

Jimmy, ever the reluctant bass hero... Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your experiences. I'm wondering if it would be better to get the rods/posts a ever so slightly smaller? My intuition is that the tension would be directed literally along the string so a super snug fit wouldn't be as important, but maybe my understanding of physics is off?

[JimmyJ]

Songdog,

Again, I may be applying a process to electric bass strings that shouldn't be applied so YMMV.  But I have, for example, found that I can -sometimes- fix a rattling E-string by putting in a twist.  So I've made it a habit of twisting each string 1/2 a turn while restringing. Piano technicians even a special tool to apply the twist which can be seen in this video (around 6:00):

"In the direction of the outer winding" means determining the direction that winding is going.  In the pic below you can see the final turn of the outer winding on my Boomers.  For these strings my twist direction is counter-clockwise when looking at it from the tailpiece side - in an attempt to help keep that outer winding under some additional tension.  And again this might just be superstition at this point because here's the other complication... I think our larger gauge strings may have more than one layer of windings and I don't know if they all go in the same direction.  So I may think I'm tightening the outer winding while I'm actually loosening an inner one. 

I don't know.  It's just an old habit which I can't seem to break.  Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it. 

Ash, you may be over-thinking the tailpiece question but don't let me discourage your creativity.  Alembic can make anything you can think up!  My inclination is that you simply need a way to secure this end of the string firmly to the body.  So the tailpiece could be anything from a vice-grip clamp to a titanium fishhook (ok maybe not strong enough).  The stock tailpiece certainly does a good job and is the more universal choice in case you ever run into a string with an unusual ball-end.  For example, my fretless bass has an old set of RotoSound "Superwound" bare-core strings which came with adjustable ball ends.  A small "pipe" with Allen screws on either side which is used as a clamp allowing you to choose the exact length of bare core from the end of the winding to the tailpiece.  I have a whole 'nother bizarre bridge/tailpiece setup on that bass but don't ask. 

Jimmy J